If It's Ok With Mommy
by lxk
Summary: A short, simple sentence sends Kim into a tizzy. Can her mom help get her footing back? Can Ron? A One-shot about the unexpected roles we get.


**Author's Note: Just a one-shot. Seriously.**

**If It's Ok With Mommy**

Kim woke up, slowly. A quick glance at the nightstand alarm clock showed the time to be 1.32 AM. Kim turned on the lamp and looked around the room. She'd never been a light sleeper by any means, but she'd always had something coming close to a sixth sense for when something was off. And now, something was.

Next to her, Ron slept peacefully. Nothing there that could have woken her up. The window was still closed.

She looked over at the door, just as she saw the knob turn. The door slowly opened, and Kim saw the little girl, all of three and a half years old standing in the opening. Kim smiled.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She softly asked the girl. The girl squirmed.

"There's a monster under my bed again. Can I sleep in your bed?" She answered. Ah, Kim thought. The monster again. This girl could take on almost any comers, except for that darned monster.

"Are you sure it isn't Rufus again, honey?" Kim asked. The girl shook her head.

"He's in his bed. And I think the monster's gonna bite me."

Kim took a breath. What she really wanted to do was to get up and prove that there was no monster, but that would probably mean that she would have to wake up Ron too. Ron had had a tough day a the restaurant, though, and needed his sleep if he was gonna get through the next day.

"Alright. Get in", she acquiesced. "But don't wake up your daddy." The girl crawled over Kim and positioned herself between Kim and Ron. Kim rolled over and placed a soft kiss on the girl's forehead.

"Good night, sweetie", she said, as she rolled back and turned off the light. As she did so, she heard the girl mumble softly.

"Good night, mommy."

Kim felt good as she closed her eyes and felt sleep come over her again. Tomorrow was gonna be a-

Wait... What...? What did she...? Mommy?

* * *

Kim sat down at the table, opposite of her mother. The hospital cafeteria was teeming with people, trying to make the most of their lunch hour. Kim was just happy she and her mother had a chance to grab lunch together today, what with her mother's packed schedule and her own day of classes at the university. Her mom had just finished talking about a, for her, interesting operation. Kim was only listening with the one ear.

"Mom... I... I wanted to talk to you about something." Dr. Anne Possible looked up from her plate, curious at the tone Kim's voice had taken.

"Sure, Kim. What is it?" She asked.

"Uhm... It's... Something happened last night." Anne swallowed. When her daughter was this nervous, something was usually seriously off.

"Did... Is it something... Ron-related?" She knew Kim and Ron was... well.. Active. Well, duh.

"No, not... well... Sort of," Kim responded, looking down at her food. Anne waited for a continuation. After a few moments, Kim looked up.

"Hana called me mommy." Anne remained silent after hearing her daughter's words. This was not what she had expected. Then again, much of what had happened in the last few years had not been expected.

Not even six months of happiness had went by after Kim and Ron's graduation from high school before tragedy had struck. A car thief had jumped a curb in a mad dash to get away from the police, and when he did, he hit two pedestrians out for a walk. Dean and Sandra Stoppable. They didn't even make it alive to the hospital.

Of course, Ron had come apart at the seams. Anne wanted to say that he had pulled himself together all by himself, but that wasn't really true. Nor did it have anything to to with Kim and his friends helping him. Well, not as much anyway. The deciding factor had been his sister Hana.

Since the Stoppables hadn't named anyone else in the event of their demise, Ron had been given status as legal guardian. But that almost didn't last. What with Hana's situation as an adopted child and Ron's low age, only two weeks went by before discussions at the Middleton Child Protective Services were had about Ron's ability too take care of Hana.

That had shook Ron out of his depressed state. The idea of Hana being taken away had almost sent him into a raging fury. In the end, there had been a hearing to determine if Hana would stay with Ron. And Ron had prevailed.

Ron could show that he could provide for Hana, even if it meant getting a job instead of going to college, that he had a stable social network to fall back on and that there was a real emotional connection between Hana and Ron, despite her young age. And then the character witnesses had been brought in. Many impressing and emotional speeches had been made, like Sensei (again posing as the head of the Yamanouchi Adoption Agency) imploring the court that Hana should stay with her brother or Kim's passionate plea in favor of her boyfriend. Perhaps the most impressive had, however, been Ron's former teacher Steve Barkin. Anne could still hear his words:

"No, Ron Stoppable wasn't a model student. He was an abrasive underachiever. But he was an abrasive underachiever who saved lives and yet somehow managed to serve his time in detention and hand in his extra homework on time. And yes, he was irresponsible with his royalty money. But he was a fifteen year old boy who suddenly had 99 million dollars and yet he spent most of what he did on helping his friend save lives. Will he make a good scientist or a good lawyer or a good accountant? No. But he'll do anything – ANYTHING - to take care of those he loves. And that makes him the best guardian Hana could get."

While Mr. Barkin had been the most impressive witness, Ron had been the most impressive period. He kept calm throughout and didn't even flinch when his flaws and mistakes were brought up. In the end, the court gave him custody, provided that he gave up his hero career. Kim had ended her career at the same time, since she knew she wasn't going to be able to to missions without Ron. Six months later, Ron had been even more impressive when he petitioned the court to become Hana's adoptive father.

"Well, Kimmie... I'm... I'm not sure what you want me to say", Anne finally responded. Kim looked away.

"I don't know either. It's just... God, I'm so confused", Kim said, rubbing her forehead.

"You knew this could happen, didn't you?" Anne asked softly. Kim sighed.

"Maybe. But I didn't think... I don't know. I wasn't prepared for it." Anne rolled her eyes.

"Kim, you've been living with them for two years now. You do know that there wasn't anyone else she was gonna call 'mommy', right?" Kim nodded at Anne's words. They were true. When Ron had won in court, she had transferred to Middleton University and had moved in with Ron, so that she could help him take care of Hana. They weren't married or engaged yet, but they slept in the same bed and did everything even more together than they had growing up.

"It's just... Ron took to being 'daddy' instead of 'brother' so fast I couldn't believe it. I mean... she called him 'daddy' once and he called his lawyers to get help with the formal adoption. But when I hear it, I..." Kim stopped.

"You what? Head for the hills?" Anne said. She didn't believe that Kim would do anything crazy, but Kim needed to get some perspective.

"NO!" Kim practically yelled. "I would never do that!"

"I know you wouldn't, honey, but how are you reacting to this?" Anne spoke, calming Kim down.

"Well, I didn't get much sleep, if that's any indication", Kim said and looked down at her plate again. Anne reached over the table and took Kim's hand.

"Honey... Ron was prepared for this. His lawyers, Sensei, psychologists, me and James... Everyone told him the same thing. If he got custody of Hana, he wouldn't be her brother anymore. At least, that's not how she would view him. She wasn't going to remember Dean and Sandra after a while, and Ron would take their role whether he wanted to or not. When she called him 'daddy', he knew it was true." Anne spoke softly and Kim looked at her.

"I know. But I'm... I'm not... I'm Ron's girlfriend. Hana is Ron's daughter. Ron's, not mine." Anne nodded her head.

"Yes, Kim. But obviously, that's not how Hana sees it." Kim sighed again.

"I... I don't know if I'm ready to be a mom", she said. And there it was, Anne thought. Yes, Kim had a right to be shocked at this. But not ready?

"Kim... If Hana scraped her knee, what would you do?" Kim looked confused.

"I... I'd clean the wound, give it a kiss to make it better and put on a band-aid. If it wasn't serious, I mean", she responded.

"And if some boy bullied her at day care, what would you do?"

"I'd... tell her to stand up for herself and if that wouldn't work I'd call the teacher and see if they were doing anything about it."

"And if she says she wants a warm cup of cocoa moo, but she's already had two?" Kim frowned.

"I'd say no... Unless she gives me the super ninja puppy dog pout." Anne grinned at Kim's words. Yeah, she had been there.

"And when she brings home her first boyfriend, what will you do?" Anne said, grinning even more.

"Mom! She's three and half years old, she's not coming home with boyfriends!" Kim looked shocked at Anne's words.

"Kim... I'd say you're as ready as you can be. But I think you need to talk to Ron about this. He needs to know." Kim nodded. She knew she had to. She had just one more thing she needed to ask.

"Mom... If... If something had happened to the Stoppables when Ron was younger... I mean... Say that... that you would have been given custody of him... for whatever reason... and he had called you 'mommy'... What would you have done?" Anne frowned, and pondered Kim's question.

"That's different, honey. Ron would have been old enough to remember his parents, and probably wouldn't forget them. I'd... I'd probably tell him that he could call me 'mommy' if he wanted to but make sure that he didn't forget Sandra or Dean. But Hana doesn't remember them, does she?" Kim shook her head. At least, Hana didn't seem to remember them. She'd never said anything to Kim or Ron, as far as she knew.

"Besides, Ron has called me 'mommy' before, so... Until he came up with that Mrs. Dr.-thing, he slipped up at least once a day, both with me and James. But those were just mistakes, so..."

"Do... do you think Hana could have... made a mistake? Just a slip of the tongue?" Kim bit her lip. Anne shrugged.

"Maybe. But... Even if she did... Whether she calls you 'mommy', 'Kim' or 'KP', the issue is still there. Who are you to Hana?"

* * *

Kim's classes ended before Ron's shift at the restaurant, the Echo Chamber, but since he was supposed to pick up Hana, she went shopping for groceries instead. When she came home, she was greeted with a familiar sight. Ron, Hana and Rufus, in the living room, dancing to the latest video from The Flippies. She smiled. Ron had been forced to grow up so much in the last two years, it had almost been too big a shock if Kim didn't know he always had it in him. Seeing him dancing with Rufus and Hana in the house that his parents had left him never failed to make Kim happy, knowing he still was a goofy fun-loving kid at heart.

"Hey, KP! Join us, wont'cha?" Ron said as he saw his girlfriend in the hall. Kim smiled as she stepped in and joined the dance for a few minutes, before getting back to putting the groceries in their rightful place. After a few more minutes of dancing, Ron decided to start cooking dinner. Kim sat Hana on the couch with Rufus to watch the cartoons. Usually, she would join them, since Kim still had problems being around the kitchen when serious cooking was taking place, but this time, she knew it would be best to take this opportunity to talk to Ron.

Ron was whistling on an old song by Britina as he raided the fridge for the ingredients he needed to make dinner; Spaghetti Hanaese. Kim sat down at the table.

"Ron... You know Hana came in last night, right?" Ron snorted.

"Super ninja powers and she gets scared of monsters. Yeah, that's my girl, alright", he said. Kim smiled. "She didn't bother you, did she?"

"She's never a bother. But... something happened", Kim said, pausing. Ron stopped getting out ingredients and turned his head with a concerned look. "She, uh... she called me 'mommy'."

Ron looked down at the floor, gathering himself.

"Yeah... Kim... there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about." He walked over to one of the drawers, opened it and picked out a piece of paper. He then walked over to the table and sat down next to Kim.

"She brought this home from day care a week ago." Kim frowned. She loved looking at Hana's drawings, what could- And then Ron placed the drawing on the table. It was a simple enough painting. Crude, sure, but you could see what it represented. It was Ron with an apron on, Kim in her old mission clothes, Hana in her favorite pink dress and Rufus.. naked, of course. The interesting part was that next to each figure were the words 'Daddi', 'Hana', 'Roofus' and... 'Mommi'. Kim knew Hana could already read and write, and since the tweebs had also learned that fast, she wasn't freaked or anything. The word 'Mommi', however, did freak her out.

"I asked Hana about it and... well... all the other kids talk about their moms, and... Well, she connected the dots, so to speak." He paused. "KP, I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner, it's not about you, you're the most badical best friend and girlfriend ever, I was just... I didn't know how to tell you or how you would react." He swallowed, awaiting Kim's response. Kim just stared at the drawing. Ron decided to continue talking.

"It's... It's not uncommon for kids like Hana to think someone's their mother or father, even though that person doesn't think of themselves that way. Mrs. Glendale said that it had happened to her several times."

"I know, Ron. I talked to my mom about it. And... I understand why she'd think that, but... I... I'm sort of... in shock here", Kim finally responded.

"I know, KP. When Hana called me 'daddy'... I was prepared for it and it still threw me for a loop. And you weren't really prepared for it. Nothing can, I suppose." Kim looked at him.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Hana, I'd do anything for her, but... she's your daughter, not mine."

"And I was her brother, not her father", Ron said. He looked away. "If you... I... I wouldn't love you any less if you felt like taking a step back, you know." Kim stared at him. "I mean... if you want to stay at your parents' house for a few weeks, or..." Kim reached out and touched his cheeks softly.

"I'm not looking for a way out, Ron, it's just..." she took a breath. "Sandra was her mom. Not me. And... And how could I... replace her? I mean... she raised you and Hana, how could I... how could I measure up to that?" As she spoke, she could see Ron tearing up. He wiped at his eyes and smiled.

"I thought the same thing. How could I... replace my dad? But... everyone told me... that I wasn't replacing anybody. I had to be me, not my dad." He edged over and gave Kim a big hug.

"If my mom was here... She'd say you were doing a great job. Not because you were doing things the way she would have, but because you're doing them your way. And it works." Kim felt tears forming in her own eyes now. She let them fall down onto Ron's shirt. They sat silent for a while, until Ron leaned back.

"Kim... you know what we said about marriage, right?" Kim nodded. They had had conversations about it and decided that if they were going to get married, they would wait until Kim had her bachelor's degree, but probably before she went on to law school. Since neither of them were that big on long engagement, they had also decided to hold off on any proposals.

"Well... I'm not asking yet. But some day soon I am going to. And when I do... I'm going to ask you... to become Hana's adoptive mother too. Just so you know." Kim smiled at his words.

"Ok, Ron. And... just so you'll know... I'll answer yes to both questions." Ron smiled a huge smile as he leaned in and kissed Kim.

"You know... I think this warrants some Bueno Nacho", Kim said. Ron grinned. They didn't go there more than once a week nowadays, so he took any occasion he could. He got up.

"I'll go get Hana dressed for spillage. Ready in five?" Kim nodded at his words, and he stepped out. After just a few seconds, Kim could hear two shouts of "Yay!" from the living room. She chuckled.

She looked down at the drawing again. Smiling, she picked it up, walked over to the fridge and fastened the drawing to it with a magnet.

What a weird image, she thought. A monkey powered chef, a former teen hero, a super ninja baby and a talking naked mole rat. What a weird family. But it was her weird family. And then she knew that she was truly ok with 'mommy'.


End file.
